Biography

"(...) Ravel's string quartet unleashed the enthusiasm of the audience. The four
musicians showed great subtlety and perfect taste, magnificently rendering
this kaleidoscope of Ravelian shades, combining tenderness and
accuracy, fiery passion and story-telling (...)"

Christian Lorandin, resmusica.com

An effervescent, irresistibly authentic energy;

The evocative power of the sound, its speech and sheer elegance...

The Quatuor Varèse commit their skills to the interpretation of the great string quartet repertoire.Having studied with great masters of the
genre and as a result of an extensive stage experience, the quartet have
attracted international acclaim by achieving outstanding results in
numerous major events.

In June 2014, the Quatuor Varèse received the Third Prize at the Paolo Borciani International Competition, Reggio Emilia (Italy), and their performance of Arcadiana by Thomas Adès was distinguished with the Special Prize for the interpretation of a contemporary work.

In February 2014, the quartet was awarded the Second Prize, in addition to the Special Prize for the best performance of a work by W.A.Mozart, at the Mozart International Competition, Salzburg (Austria).

The Quatuor Varèse has received several prizes in many other international events, such as: the First Prize in the first edition of the Hans Schaeuble Foundationcompetition in Zurich (Switzerland, 2012); the Third Prize at the Franz Schubert and Modern Music competition in Graz (Austria, 2012); the Prix Jeunes Talents 2012, Paris (France); the Grand Prix de l’Académie Ravel, Saint-Jean-de-Luz (France, 2011); the Special Prize for String Quartet in the Concours Musiques d’Ensemble(Paris, 2011) and the Second Prize, as well as the Lions Rotary Prize, at the International Chamber Music Competition in Lyon(France, 2009).

Founded at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon in 2006, the quartet was initially taught by the Ravel, Debussy and Danel quartets. Afterwards, they studied with the Quatuor Ysaÿe and worked with such highly renowned musicians as Heime Müller, Rainer Schmidt, Petr Prause, Stefan Metz and Natalia Prischepenko thanks to the Proquartet-CEMC program. More recently, they studied with Miguel Da Silva in Geneva. In 2013, the Instituto Internacional de Música de Cámara de Madrid awarded the quartet a scholarship to pursue advanced studies with Günter Pichler, the first violin of the Alban Berg Quartet.

Collaborating frequently with other artists, the ensemble has great enthusiasm towards artistic projects combining music with theatre, and even dance. “Quartet & Voice, at the Heart of the Romantics” is an innovative performance concept established alongside the baritone Alain Buet, and symbolises their creativity for the upcoming seasons.

The Quatuor Varèse is regularly invited to appear on radio programmes hosted by Stéphane Goldet, Frédéric Lodéon, Gaëlle Le Gallic, Jean-Pierre Derrien and Arnaud Laporte, broadcast on Radio France and France Musique.

The Quatuor Varèse is grateful to have been granted the invaluable support of the "Fondation Banque Populaire" since 2012.

The ensemble has been enjoying a residency at the Faculty of Medicine of Lyon since June 2016.

The Association Zilber kindly loans a violin by Giuseppe Peluzzi and viola by Giuseppe Guadagnini to the Quatuor Varèse.

François Galichet started playing the violin at
the age of six at the “Ecole Nationale de Musique et Danse” d’Evreux. . He then
studied violin in the “Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional” de Rouen with M.
Philippe Quesnel, and chamber music with M. Bernard Mathern, where he received
diplomas in both subjects.

In 2003, François entered the “Conservatoire à
Rayonnement Régional”.de Rueil Malmaison and then became student in M. Maurice
Moulin’s violin studio. During those years he also worked with M. Jacques Ghestem
(Solist from the Ensemble
Intercontemporain and violonist in the Parrenin quartet) as well as with M.
Michael Hentz, and later with Mme Catherine Montier in Boulogne-Billancourt.

In 2006 he received a 1st Prize in
the “Concours National de Musique et d’Art Dramatique Léopold Bellan”, and was
admitted into M. Vladimir Nemtanu and M. Kazimierz Olechowski’s violin studio
at the “Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique“ de Lyon where he graduated
in 2010.

Since then, François has been dedicating his
whole energy and passion to the string quartet repertoire. With the Quatuor
Varèse, which he initiated, François has the joy to explore the string quartet
masterworks and regularly give concerts.

Julie Gehan Rodriguez, violin

Julie
Gehan Rodriguez started studying the violin with Yvette Monville in
Angers. She continued her training with Suzanne Gessner at the Paris
Conservatory and then entered Marianne Piketty's violin class at the
Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique
de Lyon, where she obtained a Masters degree with distinction in 2010.
During her studies, Julie seized the opportunity to go to Karlsruhe as an exchange student and work with Ulf Hoelscher.>She has taken part in numerous masterclasses with prestigious
teachers such as Miroslav Russin, Mauricio Fuks, Christian Altenburger,
Roland Daugareil, Svetlin Roussev, Régis Pasquier and Stephan Picard.
Julie was an awardee of the Flame International competition (Paris) in 2006.
As an orchestral musician, she has had the pleasure to perform with
the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de
Chambre de Paris. In 2013 she became a member of the Orchestre de la
Garde Républicaine (Paris).
Julie's vivid interest and love for chamber music lead her to join the Quatuor Varèse in 2016.
Julie is delighted to play on a Giuseppe Peluzzi violin (1882), kindly on loan from the Association Zilber (Paris).

Sylvain Séailles, viola

Born in 1987, Sylvain has been playing the viola since the age of six. During his musical education, he has had the opportunity to work with several professors of the instrument, such as Serge Collot, Igor Boguslavsky, Bruno Pasquier and Emile Cantor.

In 2006 he was accepted into Tasso Adamopoulos’s viola stuodio at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon.

In 2008, Sylvain was a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester, performing in European tours with violinists Leonidas Kavakos and Nicolaj Znaider, conducted by Herbert Blomstedt and the late Sir Colin Davis.

In 2009, he was grateful to study as an exchange student for four months with Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot at the Montreal University of Music.

That same year he played as a member of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchester under the baton of conductors Thomas Hengelbrock, Christoph Eschenbach and Christoph von Dohnányi .

In March 2010, he took part in the American tour of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchester with the pianist Lang Lang, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach.

Sylvain had also worked with the Royal Flemish Orchestra in Antwerp and the Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine.

Since June 2010, Sylvain has been delighted to play as the violist of the Quatuor Varèse.

The Association Zilber kindly loans Sylvain a very fine viola by Giuseppe Guadagnini.

Thomas Ravez, cello

Born into a family of musicians, since his early years Thomas has grown up in music-loving surroundings. He started playing the cello at the age of seven and continued his musical education with Marc-Didier Thirault at the Conservatoire de Reims. Meeting this great teacher encouraged him to pursue professors such as Jean-Marie Gamard, Erwan Fauré, Gary Hoffman, Christophe Coin and Yvan Chiffoleau.

He was awarded degrees from the following conservatories : Reims, Rueil-Malmaison, and the Schola Cantorum in Paris, and subsequently was admitted into the classes of Anne Gastinel and Edouard Sapey Triomphe at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon.

At the school he met François Galichet, whith whom he happened to share a strong passion for chamber music and created the Quatuor Varèse in 2006.

Riley, Terry

Bolcom, William

Derungs, Martin

Reverdy, Michèle

Quatre eaux-fortes for string quartet, dedicated to the Quatuor Varèse and premiered in June 2013

Hosokawa, Toshio

Landscape I

Sirodeau, Christophe

Vers ton ombre op.9

Adès, Thomas

Arcadiana

Original Project

Quartet and Voice

The accompanied voice and the string quartet, thanks to the unique expressive qualities of the former and the aesthetic perfection of the latter, stand as two particularly privileged genres for the great romantic composers. Quartet & Voice is an original concept established alongside the baritone Alain Buet, associating two composers with one another and presenting for each an arrangement of a song cycle, in addition to a work composed for the string quartet alone. The musicians’ personalities, the quality and originality of the arrangements, as well as the selected works invite the audience on a journey through some of the most evocative works of romanticism.

The works:

Ludwig van Beethoven

String Quartet op. 18 No.1

String Quartet op. 59 No.1

String Quartet op. 59 No.2

String Quartet op. 95 Serioso

String Quartet op. 135

Song cycle arranged for baritone and string quartet: An die ferne Geliebte, op.98